Ogilvy & Mather Singapore promotes the films that Hollywood rejects

April 19, 2017

People who make decisions about creative projects do not always have vision. But that’s not the point that Ogilvy & Mather Singapore is trying to make in its film in which an aspiring French filmmaker pitches his movie ideas to top Hollywood producers and an actress from Rain Man, American Graffiti and Bridesmaids.

Films that are rejected. The filmmaker is told by the actress, “I don’t want to do it and I don’t think you should make it,” by one producer, “I don’t see how you get this to work,” and by another, “No offence here. I love the fact that you came in here and you’re trying to pitch this but it’s just not going to sell.”

What the producers and actress did not know is that all the films pitched had already won the Palme D’Or at Cannes.

The ad is part of a campaign for Alliance Française de Singapour whose aim is to promote French cinema. “There are great movies Hollywood would never make,” the ad concludes. “Watch them every week on Cine-Club.”

Alliance Française de Singapour’s Cine-Club hosts screenings of French movies every Tuesday. The campaign will also be used to promote Ciné-Plus, which presents special screenings of French films and Ciné-Kids, that promotes French movies for children in Singapore.

“We are very excited by this campaign as we feel it conveys French cinema’s depth of script writing in a fresh and humorous way. The intention is not to be, obviously, in competition with Hollywood but to broaden audience’s horizons. We’re eager to see how this film will help to promote French cinema in Singapore and abroad and attract larger, more diverse audiences,” commented Anne-Garance Primel, executive director, Alliance Française de Singapour.